New Song alert: "More than Enough" by Stephanie Jeannot

I heart music and every day is a great day to immerse myself into the sounds of music. I love to listen, perform, sing, and write songs, a lot. 

And so, it brings me great pleasure to invite you to check out my newest song. It is entitled "More Than Enough." 

It is a song written to empower individuals who might need to be reminded about the greatness that God has placed in them. It is soulful and bop worthy. All lyrics and music by Stephanie Jeannot. Mixed by Shawn Keys for Just Awesome Music. 

Hopefully, you will want to bop to it and let the sounds ring through your speakers. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/3J7sUlrzyOM

Thank you for checking out my tune and my blog and for supporting my musical journey. God bless you all.

Thank God it's Friday!!!

How many times have we heard or said the phrase, TGIF?

Yes! Thank God it's Friday.

Thank God I'm Favored

or maybe you said...

Thank God it's flurrying. 

Praying for all the homeless and the elderly and those with no heat and those in transit to and from work in this wintry mix. Be safe out there everyone. 

Definitely looking forward to "Friday Night."

"Friday Night" is a song by NYC singer/songwriter Stephanie Jeannot and Chicago Based Bassist/songwriter John Mueller featuring the illustrious NYC hypeman Bruffdacrowdpleaser. It was released on the October 10, 2020 The Stephanie Jeannot & John Mueller Project. 

It is a song about working folks experiencing a desire for the weekend. If that is you, maybe you can relate to that Friday feeling. Hopefully, you will listen to our tune on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/xVvJPe_HYig

Thank you for reading/listening and have a blessed and wonderful weekend; 

God willing! 

Wordless Wednesdays: Harmony

Harmony

Compare and Contrast the Music; O Halloween!

There is no denying that as musicians, we build ourselves up, brick by brick to become who we are.

We strive to be able to handle what we do as best as we can.  We may not always be able to put out the same energy, even though we practice and aim for perfection, but getting into the music is something that we work towards because it is who we are; music! What we don't want to be is unable to execute. 

Believe me, I understand the whole Sasha Fierce thing because I could be with no energy, practically falling asleep but put a mic in my hand and there I go, alive and with all this energy; as if I am a different person. Maybe it is Halloween for me every time I sing. And it is something I cannot explain. Some may follow through regardless of the odds. Some may not feel like they can handle it when life throws a hardball our way. Yet, we still are with a heart to be all that we can be to be considered well-rounded and serious. 

We take on a gamut of approaches to better our craft with hope that we might thrive in the artistic scene. But while propelling ourselves for the duration of our lifeline on this earth, it is important to remember that the art of comparing our musical journey with someone else's can be something that might stymy the flow.

Why and Why Not Compare

I get it! There is so many of us out there striving with very similar goals. How could you not compare? They are working with fire and passion. You are working with fire and passion. Or maybe you are not and then you see someone else achieving recognition and it creates jealousy in you and may make you want to adjust to be or do what everybody else is. Or perhaps it will make you feel out of place and as if you do not belong. But don't let the hype fool you. Everybody was a beginner. Every pro started somewhere. Every person had to crawl before they started walking. Everybody gets sick sometimes and cannot always come with the full plate of stamina all the time. And everybody messes up sometimes because nobody is perfect. 

It is important to remember that just because someone else is doing something that you are not does not mean that is the ultimate way. We all think differently and do things in our own way. And just because you are not doing what they are someone else does, does not mean your method to the madness is the ultimate or that it is irrelevant. 

The Art of Comparison

Beyond music, the art of comparison has been the one thing that keeps love from flowing correctly. Just because you practice something in your tradition does not mean my cultural mores are wrong or of savage nature. And just because your culture practices a certain religion does not mean that is the only religion that is supposed to be practiced. And just because you are accustomed to dressing a certain way does not mean that mine are of any less value. Depends on the person. And just because you live your day in a specific way does not mean that everybody else has to be doing the same thing. You have your way and I have mine. Who's is right and who's is wrong? I am guessing that if we respect each other where we are knowing that the one thing we do have in common is that we share earthen space, even if we are different in culture, career decision, color, gender, sexual preference or religion. We are still family and that is the most important thing, regardless of the differences. 

Please check out my song which speaks about this entitled "People United." It is off my newest album We Are People United with lyrics and vocals by Stephanie Jeannot and music by Paul Garrod and you can find it on spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/track/4Ct0gzHKwv2QG8MgxKA6tR

Now let's take it to the bridge. . . 

Comparisons in Music
If you have perfect pitch and the next person does not. So, what? You have a clear tone and the person next to you has a lisp? So, what? He always nails that high note but you can’t? No need for feeling doubtful about it. Each person's timbre is as unique as a thumb print. So, what? You have energy on the stage and feel comfortable moving around but the next singer stands still while singing. So what?  You got musical education at Berkeley and he got some musical insight from Barry Harris and from jam sessions. So what? He speaks with a beautiful tone and I am singing with this crazy foreign accent. That does not mean you are someone not worth listening to and respecting. That just means you have an accent. So what? She knows more songs than I and I know more of the lyrics of my originals than the Top 40 tunes. So what. Be-you-tiful! That is what it is all about. Being you and loving what you uniquely do. But that is what you uniquely do. Let's stop looking at our own selves, putting down others ways of getting things done and respect each other. Regardless of who we are and how someone else approaches, I find that I can learn from them in even the most minor way, even though we are all unique in our own way. 

Halloween

So Halloween is here. I don't always dress up though sometimes I do like to get a costume on and celebrate; especially if the day comes when I have a gig and I am getting on stage. I mean, why not. It is all in fun right?

I'll never forget the year that I dressed up one year as a princess and realized I didn't have a crown. Thank God there was a Burger King around though because a few minutes later, I had a pretty gold one. LOL! We went to that grade school party and I saw some great costumes there and we all had a blast. I think the costumes are my favorite thing about Halloween. I love to see how people dress up, all so creative and different. I also love all the awesome decor.

So did you decorate? Here is a Halloween themed art of comparison to end this post. I was walking down the streets of my neighborhood and noticed all the beautiful and outrageous décor that the people in my vicinity had ornamented their homes with. I saw theirs and I thought of the little I put up around my house and was like, dang! I thought about heading back to the store to get more decorations. But then I changed my mind. So what if they dressed up every inch of their homes in such amazing ways? Mine was decorated too; just in my own way.  

Mine looked nice too; didn’t it? 😊  I think I have enough candy too for all the trick or treaters. Happy Halloween everybody! Have a safe and wonderful Halloween! 

A Broader Musical Repertoire

Moving right along on this musical journey, 

I have been working hard on applying my streams of consciousness to new songs, 

and am excited to share with you, a broader musical repertoire of my own

that has been in the making all year. 

 “As an artist, you hope to create something everyone can identify with” 

(– Gina Prince-Bythewood)

This year has been a pretty interesting one so far, and with so many things seen and experienced, it truly feels good to have found a source of inspiration welling in me, where I was able to water new seeds for lyrical melodies to blossom. And now that the year is coming to an end, I have some new music that I am excited about and want to share.

My hope is that you will be able to identify with these songs, 

featured on my latest project entitled 

"We Are People United."

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/stephaniejeannot1

Please head on over to CDBaby and take a listen here: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/stephaniejeannot1

And please, if you do listen, please let me know what you think.

The album consists of 13 tracks. 

All lyrics were written by Stephanie Jeannot. 

All soundtracks produced by Paul Garrod. 

Our chemistry has been amazing where the music was concerned 

and we were able to harmonize our uniqueness into this project to make it what it is. 

Please head on over to CDBaby and take a listen here: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/stephaniejeannot1

If you like the tracks, please download it. 

And please, if you do listen, please let me know what you think.

My favorite on this work is "People United." What is yours? Let me know. 

Thank you for your help everyone and thank you so much for supporting independent artists! 

Things to Consider to Stay Motivated As a Singer

I started singing in the church in grade school and have been a part of every choir that I was able to immerse myself into for most of my life.

I grew up in a Roman Catholic church and I can’t remember ever not loving to hear the pipe organ accompany us as we sang the classical hymns that would get the congregation to join in with us in unity to lift up the holy name of Jesus.  Church was always my thing and back then, there was not one Sunday of service that I would miss, because I loved being in the number.

I may have been young and innocent back then but still, I was just waiting in the wings to fly high into the skyways of singing. Who knew I would have had so many dramatic encounters since then as I sojourned through life!

A JOURNEY

It has been a journey indeed. From messing up on stage, to not being prepared for things I wanted to accomplish as a singer, to getting rejections and also, being accepted, doing well through some performances and having what needed to be on point for many live musical engagements. I have done off-Broadway plays cast as part of chorus lines, directed choirs, won a few contests here and there, played extra roles in movies, lead and been part of bands, produced a radio show and also sung abroad.

The road has had its turbulence but I can honestly say that there have been more smooth cruise control times than traffic and potholes in my story. With that in mind, I have ideas to share with all of you interested in getting yourself out there into the world and doing something with your talent and also for those seeking motivation.

DISCLAIMER

Okay, I know what you are thinking and you might actually be right. No, I am not the best singer in the world and have not had enough formal training to qualify as a pedagogue in this area of expertise. 

However, I do have enough cuts and bruises from experience to be able to relay to you how I got the scars that brought me to where I am today because the road has not been simple and it is very easy to sway from your musical endeavors because of someone or something that did not go the way you expected. Experience is the pedagogy that I speak of. Hopefully these points to consider will stimulate your mind and give you some fuel to keep moving on the road ahead. 

HERE ARE SOME OF THEM:

1. At times we may feel discouraged because of what someone said or how they treated you on the bandstand. It happens especially because the band stage involves the meshing of different ages and  personalities. Consider your source of discouragement and if it is even worth basing your quality of talent on their attitude. 

Who are they? Were they sober? Are they people to take seriously? Are you being open-minded?  What do you believe about yourself? 

Being a musician is not easy, so you must be strong-willed and you must also stay prayed up. Otherwise, you will always have a bruised ego and might give up. 

2. Everyone is a critic. Everyone has an opinion. Some people will love what you have to offer. Some people will not like what you have to offer at all. Some will support everything you do. Some won't support anything you do and then talk about what you are doing and how you are doing it. This includes family. Some people will go out of their way to compliment you. Some people will move out of your way to criticize you in another person's ears. Some people will do everything in their power to help you. Some won't even pat you on the back to wish you well. But, the question is, do you believe in what you are doing? Where do you stand on the topic of faith? Remember, we are our own biggest critic. You are better than you think.

3. One performance is not your entire lifeline. We all have good nights. And sometimes we have bad nights. Nobody is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. But not everyone may know you actually made one, so don’t tell them. Remember, Ella Fitzgerald forgot her words and started singing those nonsense words that everyone tries so hard to imitate through scatting nowadays. 

You never know what will happen if you just stay calm and not say, sorry guys, I messed up the song. Or don’t be like the younger Me and decide to run off the stage crying without finishing the song. They may not even know you messed it up. But if they do,  what can you do? Good to be honest with yourself but not good to punish yourself for it. Better to continually find ways to encourage yourself.  

Shit happens! So what? And what better place to intentionally mess up than in performance mode at an open mic. You may never know what you can do if you never try anything new. If you need to pull out your phone to get the lyrics, go and karaoke because the words are there for you. Holding your phone to read lyrics looks tacky on a stage with a band. If you know the lyrics already, open mic with a live band. Don’t be afraid to experiment. And if you mess up in an open mic, It's open mic so just try it again; that is, if you decide not to quit because you messed up. You can always regain yourself next time if you try it again.

4. Just because you came with you’re a game to an audition and did not get a call back does not mean that your talent is not on point. So, don’t waste too many tears on it and don’t beat yourself up over it either. 

The next 3-and-a-half-hour line that you stand on, or overnight stay you spend on the bleachers in a stadium in the rain to audition, might just have your name written on it without you even knowing. So don't get discouraged from auditioning. Keep doing it. 

5. Not everyone knows the Mahalia Jackson or Peebo Bryson version of a popular song that you believe every musician should know. And not every singer can sing a blues song in the standard F key. Every voice is different. So, at least know your key so the musicians can meet your voice where it is at, appropriately; or carry a chart so this way, there is no mistaking what you are seeking as a performer in that moment. 

This actually is part of the homework. You practice the song. Also know your keys. Add the song and key to the notepad in your phone. You can’t go wrong. That way, you always have that information with you.

6. Learn some hand signals so you can lead the band. If an accompanist really gets into the song while playing, he or she might not see your face gestures telling them to stop. Cue them for where you want to go during the song. There are actual hand signals for Verse, chorus, Top of the song, bridge, vamp, end. Know what they are and use them accordingly. Better to lead them than to get mad at them while on the stage and curse them out in front of everybody because they messed you up. 

7. Keep your voice hydrated and make sure you breathe and keep those coin-sized internal instruments healthy. Remember that the vocal cords are the only instrument that God made by hand. Keep them healthy. Lubricate with water while on the stage. No, I did not say lubricate with a watered down alcoholic drink. It might dry your voice out. You might get drunk. Do you want to perform heavily under the influence? Make Sure to nurture them. 

8. Practice makes better, not perfect. The more you practice, the better you will get than what you were able to output yesterday. 

If you are like me, then you have a favorite singer or artist. I used to spend half my childhood evenings and even some as an adult, singing for countless hours, all the songs of Whitney Houston, Faith Evans, Amel Larrieux, Tamia, Brandy, Karen Clark-Sheard, Kim Barrell, Yolanda Adams, Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill, Carmen McRae and Mariah Carey to the four corners of my walls. 

Don’t limit your genre and artist engagement. Every genre has something to offer and there are more artists than the ones currently on the air waves that might benefit your capabilities as an artist if you embrace their craft as well.

Add songs of different artists and genres to your repertoire. Write your own Shakespearean Sonnet AKA Song and add that to your repertoire as well. Practice songs with a karaoke track. Practice your scales by a keyboard and if you do not have one, download a keyboard app to your phone or tablet. Use YouTube tutorials. Exercise your talent and allow it to flourish. But also rest. Even the best athlete who utilizes their muscles on a daily basis needs to rest. Practice, rest, perform, rest, practice . . .

9. Finally, smile! If you love it enough to practice it and work hard toward becoming better at what you do, smile while you are engaging your audience. Don’t think about all the dilemmas in your life while trying to burst out that tune. Sing and focus on the melody. You can also hear a smile through a song as it is being sung in the tone and texture. Smile and sing. Be focused in the song and sing it. Don’t wander off to la la land thinking about everything else in the world. Sing that song and smile. 

Be centered in the song and let the words flow through your arched-up lips. Let love breathe through that very thing you love to do if you are doing it because you truly love to. Be yourself. Be confident. And be beautiful and smile through your song. Plus, who wouldn’t enjoy seeing and relating to the beauty of a bright face delivering a melody? A smile definitely makes a difference.

Those are my thoughts on singing and a few taken from personal experiences as I mentioned my running off the stage crying once. Thank God I grew from that and continued on. Hope my ideas were helpful and I also hope that they motivated you in some way. I appreciate you sharing your time with me to read my blog post. God Bless! 

WHO AM I?

My name is Stephanie Jeannot. I was born and raised in New York City. I have Haitian roots and I am a lover of black coffee because it keeps me doing what I do.

I am a singer and writer. I write more than I sing. I write poetry, songs and music. Recently for the first time ever, I charted out a song before laying out the musical parts into my Sonar Music Suite. I am a lover of music and I love to sing. You can find out more about me by visiting my website at http://www.jnotemusic.com

YOU CAN ALSO FIND ME ON:

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/musiqal1

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jnotemusic

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/musiqal1

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/sj1and0

CDBaby: https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/StephanieJeannot

Haitian Culture Falls Fresh On Me Like Waters From the Saut

“When you have unity. Nothing is heavy” – dad

It is weird how things come into play. Somebody says, hey try this and you do or you don’t. That’s the way it goes. You might have your own way of doing things and choose your own path. But there are times you think, hey why not and the results are amazing.

So I tried something completely different. I was Ushered into a transformative moment by my folks to write a song about Saut D’Eau (Sodo), which is located about 60 miles north of Port au Prince. Saut D’Eau is also the French word for waterfall, with this area in the Mirabalais province of Haiti being known for the most beautiful and peaceful waterfall you could find in the world.

Every year in July, there is a wonderful feast celebrated on the 16^th of July known as the feast of Mount Carmel where hundreds gather to celebrate this wonderful day together. This is part of my culture. I am Haitian and was raised with knowledge of my background, traditions and the peoples from whom we came. I have been to the feast once while I was in high school and it was such a beautiful celebration. So many people. Such a great gathering of like-minded beautiful people that left me with such an amazing feeling.

I was asked to write a song about this very place. Usually, I am not one who needs direction. I write songs based on what is in my heart and that is it. But when my family asked me to do it, I did. Who knew that going with someone else’s inspiration would let the words and music shed out of me like water weight while on the treadmill at the gym.  A few hours later, the song, Saut D’Eau Song was born. I guess you can say the weight of the mission I was tasked with was not heavy because it was with my folks in mind.

I hope that you’ll check it out. It is mostly in English as my Haitian Kreyol is not the best, though I did add a few words of Kreyol here and there because I am Haitian and this song is about Haiti. Saut D’Eau Song was written and produced by Stephanie Jeannot. All lyrics, music and vocals are by Stephanie Jeannot.

  

Anyway, here is the link to the song: https://soundcloud.com/stephanay-jnote/saut-deau-song 

Thank you so much for checking out my blogpost. 

Unlimited Love for Singing My Originals

As artists, we sometimes default to singing cover tunes because we have grown accustomed to loving the artists who we look up to so much, that their songs linger in our hearts and we want to sing them. 

It becomes second nature to get knocked into a groove of a familiar tune rather than to splash our own color into the singing experience and to sing something that came from our own pen. I will admit, it is still an ocean of fun for me and very inspiring at that, whenever I get on stage and share a song with an engaging audience, whether it is a cover tune or an original; and I have had many inspiring moments.

I flashback to exactly three years ago today when a fellow musician, Lenny Underwood, blessed me with the opportunity to join him on stage with the legendary Jennifer Holliday, and I was asked to perform a duet with her before the Jackie Robinson Foundation award recipients at the Waldorf Astoria.  That moment was unforgettable and still bedazzles me every time a Facebook “on this date” shows up and reminds me that this event actually took place in my life.  

Other inspiring moments include, performing live at the Great Adventures Theme Park, releasing my musical project Finally JNote, traveling to Russia and singing at a music festival in Krasnodar, creating original video content for a visual component to my lyrics, 

and just recently something generated the most positive emotion in me that I have ever had. 

For the first time ever in my life, I performed before my peers, a concert of all original music and it felt as good as being a shoe-aholic in a shoe store on a shopping spree.  I was able to share the tone of my existence with a live audience. I shared the frame of my culture through sound and vision. I shared a piece of who I am like I never had in my experience and it felt great to finally do it with the personalized touch of my own lyrics and melodies.

I have sung my original tunes live prior to that moment, but always wedged in between a cover tune. I was able to grab the attention of my entire audience with my own, creative works. I had been building up for a moment like that all my life and finally, that moment came. All I can say is, I cannot wait to do it again with the JNote Band. Looking forward to the next time.   

My favorite moment of the night was for the first time ever,  performing my song Love No Limit,  written about the experience of seeing the world with your own eyes to separate myth from facts when it comes to loving a people. It was mostly inspired by research I conducted when first starting my college thesis and seeking information on language and different dialects  of so-called "bastardized languages," Latin American Literature (more so the concepts of magical realism), and my most recent international trip which was to Russia. Check it out here: https://youtu.be/Ehbsut02E_g

The lyrics are by me, Stephanie Jeannot and the music is by Paul Garrod. Singing this song mostly felt great because I was able to do it on a platform with the JNote Band, in a flow of all original music and that is what made the night memorable for me. Only God!  

Wherever You Are

It was once seen as a motivational state for me when my guy would come over and we would get into the midst of creating music.

I had built a little studio in my basement and in the midst of my reality., it was one of the hottest creation stations in Brooklyn, NY. We would come together and in the nuance of emotion, conceive new music that would someday develop into a song worth sharing.

When lyrics storm, the droplets of words add a measure of fun into my world. If you do not know what I am talking about, during the spring, go outside in the rains of April without an umbrella and dance in it.

I liked him because he was a pretty, honest individual. We vibed together intellectually deep and it always added color to my dullness. We could spend hours together writing, playing the piano, grabbing the guitar and strumming in a new track to the bundle under the scaffold that would soon be built into a song. And then he’d leave. And as soon as he left my foyer area and I shut the door behind him, I started to miss him.

There are some things and people that I give narrow attention but he had all my focus. I would experience enflamed anxiety as if I had not seen him in months, though he was just with me 30 seconds ago.

If music is a compilation of human tears, then my song “Wherever You Are” is the pool that I was wading in for a minute and then drowned me into a new melody to sing. For it was on one of those occasions where he left and I started missing him that this song was written. 

The words illustrate the feeling which I experienced at that single moment. You can only imagine how good it felt to let my thoughts out with piano splashes on a blank track. The lyrics which focus on the basis of love came directly after.

If you liked the little performance clip captured in Novorossiysk, Russia of me singing my song with the Sergey Koronev Project, which was a moment of pure pleasure I must say, please add the full length tune to your Apple Music playlist here: https://itun.es/us/I2kLeb?i=1150594893

Sunday Inspiration: Enjoy Life

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.

Only through experience of trial and suffering

can the soul be strengthened,

ambition inspired and success achieved.”

– Helen Keller

I have made it my mission to write a thousand words a day and to make the words that I share positive as a way of engaging a smile in someone else.

Through it all, I will benefit by festering my own wounds that have yet to heal and have been holding me prisoner to my doubts since they first left scars. I will not admit to living a life full of immense sadness but I will say that the past took such a toll that it still has fire power over my mood because of the heaviness of the scenes where and when the bulk of negative instances occurred that sort of affected the entirety of my huge heart.

Sometimes I am happy and then I think about those moments in time which I fell and then I unhesitatingly choose to withhold my beautiful smile. I get lost in the music of the thoughts of how I lost my step and what did not go my way in these detours that shouldn't have, and then I feel this emotional fragility that should not be present but is, because the past takes over.  

I don’t know if you can relate to constantly blaming yourself for where you are or are not in the present moment that leaves a physical reminder of how you messed up. Though accomplishments may occur daily, you overlook them because you never allowed yourself to experience closure from your past. You rather stay tightly bonded to your disappointments than to experience the momentary joys which I could say are on the flip side of the bad yesterdays.

Positive thoughts are the glasses that are half full. They create the sensation of looking on the bright side. Being upright and positive would result in the good feelings that you could have though you feel nothing but numbness where the sunshine should be beaming.

Here Are Some Things You Can Do to Ward Off the Self-Negative Reactions.

1. Encourage yourself.

Make a list of the good things in your life. Acknowledge the accomplishments. Pat your own self in the back with each rung you climb. Award yourself with a golden star or a mani/pedi when you take a tiny leap into the direction of your choosing.

2. Shake it off.

Turn on some feel-good music and just dance. For one, it will burn off a couple of calories. Secondly, music has a way of creating positive energy within. It can be that one thing to instill hope in those great, big old eyes.

3. Style

When you look good, you feel great. I don’t know about you but if I dress up and look stylish, I can’t have bad feelings about myself when I am looking at my dolled up, sexy self in the mirror. Dress up! Put on some stylish jewelry on. Put some makeup on and smile at how beautiful you are in your coordinated fashion. Look in the mirror and see the fearfully and wonderfully made heir to the throne that you are. Royalty in fact. Do you actually really see the truly blessed individual looking back at you in the mirror?

4. Have a conversation

I understand that some people feel that having a therapist Is the answer to everything. If you can talk to someone and tell them your problems than it makes a difference and in some ways, I agree. However, have you ever let out our thoughts to a great friend? Do you have someone you can trust? If you get sad and think no, then you are wrong. You can always turn to God with your problems. You don’t have to worry about what you say being repeated in gossip. You don’t have to worry about being judged for your thoughts and feelings. Get on your knees and let it out. He is a great listener. IT also will feel good to get it out your system to someone worth talking to.

5. Write it.

If you think you do not have anything worth writing about, sometimes letting out your emotions on paper creates the best stories. The way our thoughts operate on us is the way that a reader will look at what is written if you share it and feel the emotion ripping through the pages.  If you had a hard lived life, write a song about it. I am not sure about you but, my favorite Mary J Blige songs were the ones that she was singing sad songs. I could sing along to like the first five albums word for word. Then she started getting happy and the songs didn’t hit the same for me anymore. Some of the questions you may have that bubble in your heart, readers and listeners might be able to relate to because we all have baggage, songs and dances alike and across the breath of society, we are no different from each other in the fact that we all had a past that we jumped feet first into. The strain of the task might leave you exhausted because I often end up in tears writing when I do write but, it will help to experience a sort of clarity that you may not have had.

6. Yoga/Meditation

Yoga helps to experience deep breathing. I can honestly say that I don’t take deep breaths enough and not because I don’t want to but because my body was built this way and I mostly take shallow breaths while awake and while in resting mode. But, meditation hushes the overthinking. It makes you focus on your breathing. It brings you to the point of quiet of mind which is the only thing that never changes in a constantly changing world. Meditation helps to bring you into unity with yourself and also helps to correct your thinking. For 15 -20 minutes a day, if you focus on just your breaths, it can help to detox the clutter in your mind.

Enjoy Life

I hope that my words find you in good spirits as it was written as I sit back and process the beautiful message I received today at church as well as my dwelling on the first month and half that has left us in the 2017 year.

I attended two funerals already; one which was a double casket one for a friend of mine who lost his brother and mother in the same week. Days later, two other friends lost their mom, another friend an aunt and a plethora of others who have lost people already in 2017.

Life is so short and considering my friend cleaning out what is left of his recently departed, something to think about is the fact that things, physical or spiritual are just things. There is still so much life to live while we are in the land of the living. If lived with regret of what should’ve would’ve could’ve happened which again are just things, our days will be hard and we will suffer. But if lived with hope of what is to come, there is so much more promise than just the things. We have been kept for a reason. Never forget that!

I’d like to invite you to check out my song, Enjoy Life, about living and enjoying life regardless of our trials. Everything has an expiration date; things, situations, relationships, people and even our trials. But our internal joy is everlasting so don’t ever let go of it. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/qPCvcQLGd2o

Thank you for reading my blogpost. Have a wonderfully blessed day! 

As Imperfect As I Am, I Still Did It My Way

“We all have dreams, hopes and insecurities” – David Hooper

It’s my season to indulge on something I realized this morning as I gathered with a beautiful family, memorializing their loved one who had recently passed.

The son of the departed spoke about the life his father lived and directly after that, I was requested to sing a rendition of Paul Anka, Jaques Revaux and Claude Francois’ English version of Giles Thibault’s “My Way.” The song an interesting one talking about the way that a person lived their life and even though they fell, made mistakes and had a full plate, they stayed in the race and did it their way. 

Kind of made me take a backward glance and think about all the legends that left us behind in 2016; Prince, Natalie Cole, Muhammad Ali, George Michael, Princess Leia, Paul Von Thadden, etc, and many family members of friends that are no longer in the land of the living. Yet, to think about the relationships that were built over time, even with those that were legendary that we only knew through television through their victorying and then the scandals and everything else that followed their lives. We loved them anyway. Then I look at myself and think of all my imperfections that some of the people I have lost over the years and then those who are still here that decided to love me anyway.

As Imperfect As I Am

We live our lives in the best way that we know how and folks in our lives still find ways to reflect on the best of us though we are still works in progress. Singing “My Way” for the first time and hearing the lyrics that were featured in this tune was a defining moment for me. Made me realize that the flaws are what people will miss. Made me realize that my imperfections are things that I should not look at as a reason to be angry at who I am because they are also worth loving. Who would think that a song like that would make me consider my own worth? The recently departed may be feeling his wings against the sky on his flight up into heaven, but his memory will forever live on. Even in his resting peacefulness, he inspired me.

I wrote a song that is similar to “My Way,” entitled “You Loved Me.” Lyrics and vocals by Stephanie Jeannot. Music by Mike LeShore. It is actually one of my many songs featured on Soundcloud. Please check it out here: https://soundcloud.com/stephanay-jnote/stephanay-jnotes-tracks-1

Let me know your thoughts on faults and imperfections.  

If you listened to the song, tell me what you think?  How can I improve it?